South India Temple Tours takes you on a fascinating journey to the land rich in momentous temples. There are several towns in South India that are specifically known as the 'Temple Towns' owing to some of the brilliant temples of the town. The south Indian style of temple architecture is called Dravida Style of Temple Architecture. The Vimana and the Gopurams characterize this style. The Vimana is a tall pyramidal tower consisting of several diminishing smaller storeys standing on a square base. The Gopuram is two storeys gateway to the temple separated by a horizontal molding. The Prakara or the outer wall encloses the temple. The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijayanagar rulers and the Nayaks had contributed to the development of South Indian temples.
The first temple on South India Temple Tours is the Guruvayoor Temple, one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centers of Kerala. Located 29 km to the west of Trichur, the Sri Krishna Temple draws maximum pilgrims and tourists. According to local legends, Guru, the Teacher of the Gods and Vayu, the God of Winds, together build this temple. The square shaped Sri Kovil is the sacred sanctum of the temple and enshrines the main deity. The temple also houses the images of Ganapati, Sri Ayyappa and Edathedathy Kavil Bhagavathy. Only Hindus can enter the temple.
The second temple on South India Temple Tours is 2000-year-old Meenakshi Temple is situated in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati known here as Sundareswarar and Meenakshi, the temple s a masterpiece of Dravidian Temple Architecture. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya but the real credit for making the temple as grand as it stands today goes to the Nayaks. The present temple was conceived in 1560 AD by Vishwanatha Nayak and subsequently built during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak.
The Brihadeeswara Temple is situated at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The temple was constructed under the patronage of the King Rajaraja Chola in the 10th century AD and designed by Sama Varma, the architect. The most unique feature of the temple is that no shadow of the temple is cast on the ground at any time of the year. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The inner wall of the sanctum is embellished with 108 different dancing postures of Shiva. The temple is one of the finest contributions of the Chola Dynasty to the Dravidian Temple Architecture.
Kanchipuram is 75 km from Chennai in Tamil Nadu and is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers in India. Kanchipuram is famous for magnificent and elegant Dravidian temples. On the tour of Kanchipuram, one must visit the Kailashanatha Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kumara Kottam, Ekambareshwar Temple and Varadaraja Temple.
Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram, once the port city of the Pallava rulers, is located 50 km from the south of Chennai on the shores of Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu. The temples of Mamallapuram are excellent specimen of Dravidian temple architecture and Pallava art. There are 11 temples at Mahabalipuram excavate out of the rock. The most important temple here is the Shore Temple. The Shore Temple built during the reign of Rajasimha in the 7th century AD. Rajasimha constructed the Shore Temple in the 7th century AD. It was the first Pallava structure to be built of stone rather than being carved out of stone like the older temples.
Another temple to visit on South India Temple Tours is at Somnathpur village located on the banks of river Kaveri, 140 km from Bangalore in Karnataka. The commander of the Hoysalas, Somnath built the Keshava Temple almost 740 years ago with permission grants received from the king. The names of the sculptors can be seen on the sculptures, as they have inscribed their names on their works. It was not a common practice during that time.
The most important temple to visit on South India Temple Tours is at Tirupati, 67 km from Chittor district in Andhra Pradesh. The town is famous for the holy shrine of the Shri Venkateshwara. The Balaji Temple with its gopuram at Tirupati is a classical example of Dravidian architecture. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara also known as Srinivasa or Balaji, who is believed to have attributes of both Shiva and Vishnu.
